1. Field
The present invention is directed to a method and system of processing data of a message or messages prior to transmission of the message ascertain the existence of and release a message stuck in an message queue or short message service (SMS) message queue or email box such as an outbox or draft box.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is not uncommon for an electronic message (e.g., email) to get “stuck” in the outbox, draft box or outgoing message queue of an electronic message handling system (for example, email application). A message or messages are considered “stuck” in the outbox or any other message queue when the message or messages remain after a transfer or transmission function fails to remove the message or messages from the queue. When messages are “stuck” in, for example, the outbox the user may not notice and expect that those messages are sent as usual in a timely manner. Those “stuck” messages typically are not sent until the user takes action to either re-send the message or remove the message from the outbox using the functions provided by the message handling system.
An email message draft may be maintained in a queue of messages called “Drafts” typically until the message is completed and sent. A user can start a draft of a message on one morning, store it as a draft, get interrupted and may not return to the message until much later. If the email application is later shutdown, the message will remain in the “Drafts” queue. The next time the application is opened, the draft message is shown as residing in the “Drafts” queue.
Email messages that are being drafted may also sit on a desktop email application interface (GUI) in or on a task bar until the email application is closed, referred to as an in process message queue. Typically if the email application is kept on, open and not shutdown, as long as the email application is open, the message will remain on the task bar, or in process message queue until the user initiates the send command. If the application is shutdown, the user may be alerted and asked if the message residing on the task bar is to be saved (or sent). If saved, it will be saved in the “Drafts” queue. If not saved or sent, it will be deleted. If the email application is constantly on, such as may occur in a cell telephone or smartphone, the draft may sit unsent indefinitely. If the email application is closed and the message is in the “Drafts” queue, it may also remain unsent indefinitely.
It may be that the user would want to make sure that draft or in process messages do not remain unsent and may want to be reminded when they remain unsent. What is needed is a system that will notify a user when a draft or in process message erroneously remains unsent.
The standard operation of a message handling system transfers a message or multiple messages to the outbox of the message handling system after the user has started the send operation. The outbox is a queue for messages ready to be transferred from the message handling system to the message transmission system for delivery to another message handling system or another transmission system. A draft box is a queue to store incomplete messages prior to the user starting the send operation. An in process message queue is a queue for messages that the user is in the process of drafting, prior to the user initiating the send command or saving in the draft queue.
A message transmission process performs the transfer of messages from a message queue to another message queue or to the message transmission system. In the case of an outbox, if the message transmission process (MTP) transfers all of the outbox queue messages from the outbox to the message transmission system the outbox queue is emptied. However, from time to time the outbox queue is not emptied properly by the MTP and one or more messages remain in the outbox when the MTP completes or terminates improperly. When those messages remain in the outbox they can prevent or block other messages from being transferred or may individually remain in the outbox until the system or the user removes them using a process other than the MTP. Unfortunately current message handling systems do not monitor the outbox or other queue for “stuck” messages for the purpose of notifying the user when one or more messages are left, unsent, in the outbox queue.
Monitor processes and alert systems are needed to notify the user of the message handling system that one or more messages have failed to be transferred from the outbox, draft or in process queues by a message transmission process (MTP). The message handling system may be a local computer or a remote system/server. The outbox or other message queue may reside on a local computer or a remote system/server. The message transmission process may occur on a local computer system or a remote system/server.